BATON ROUGE -- LSU football coach Les Miles issued the following statement on Tuesday regarding the conversation he had with Michigan last week:

“I had a conversation with Michigan last week that covered a wide range of topics. I was doing nothing more than helping them with their search for a football coach, just as any loyal alumnus might do. It was nothing more than that.

“I’m not a candidate for that job and I will not be a candidate for the job. I was only assisting them in their search for a coach. I have a great job at a wonderful place, a place that my family calls home. It’s time that Michigan goes on with their search for a football coach. I’ll say it again, I’m going to be the coach at LSU next season.”

Oh brother. Is anybody buying this?

"I was doing nothing more than helping them with their search for a football coach, just as any loyal alumnus might do. It was nothing more than that."

Somebody doth protest too much (and hold way too many press conferences and issue way too many press statements for something he's not interested in).

Is it just me or is Les starting to sound like a guy who just got caught by his new girlfriend hanging out with his old girlfriend?

"What's the big deal, LSU? We were just talking. I swear. Michigan and I are just friends. That's it. She just needed some dating advice. She's going through a rough time right now. Remember I told you about that Greg guy who blew her off? What a dick. So I was just, you know, helping her find somebody else. Like any old boyfriend would do. As a friend. A platonic friend. And that's it. I swear. Just friends. Because I don't even like her anymore. I love you, LSU. Only you. Honest."

Gee, can't wait for his next press conference which should be in, oh, about five or six minutes.

43 comments:

I'm telling you, the longer we hear nothing coming out of Ann Arbor, the more viable he is as a candidate. If we get to the bowl game w/out an announced hire it's a done deal. Though I will not bet any farm animals coming out of my ass on that.

And Yost, hope you don't mind me linking to some reading material for people. Insomnia+poker = me posting a lot and not making it to the gym tomorrow morning. Figured the least i can do is be productive for other people.

Why would Les want to get back with his old girlfirend when she's just a good, moral, upstanding girl. While she provides a steady (but not excessive amount) of action, she only likes it missionary style, not a super-freak like LSU who's willing to throw that funky stuff at you and "bang like a screen door in a hurricane" (HT BiB).

This whole coaching dispute is a disaster for MI. Everyone in the country knew that LLoyd was retiring they should have easily had a list of names to pick from. If it does end up being Les then more power to him since this restructured contract of his gives him an 800K bonus when he stomps tosu. I'll give even bigger props to MI if they played a hand in orchestrating that contract extension in the hopes that the then 800K will be put towards the 1.25 Mill they will have to dish out to take him from LSU. Just another scenario for you conspiracy nuts to munch on.

Super lame analogy. Maybe Less was getting info on Ohio. Maybe they were both apologizing for the crap that has been going on. Maybe they offered and Les told them no. Maybe he said we will talk after next football season. Maybe he said get rid of Carr. Maybe he was telling him how they do it at LSU and to get with the times.

Forget Les Miles. I keep saying that he's not that great, and he isn't, although he did turn around OkSU and beat highly ranked Oklahoma twice. That's impressive. But if Michigan gets him, then he ends up being a liar, and is that something that Michigan wants? It's not good for us, or for college football in general.

If we hire Brady Joke then that's a travesty. He has demonstrated little coaching acumen. Why hire him when you can just promote Ron English or Scott Loeffler?

All Chris Peterson has done is sustain a program for one year that is top dog in a weak conference. And he beat Oklahoma. I don't think that he would fit in so well in Ann Arbor. And he seems like a nice guy.

One guy I like is Craig Bohl, coach of North Dakota St. He's successfully guided them in their transition from D-II to FBS and, after losing to Minnesota last year by 1 point, came back and beat them. MN went to a bowl game last year. And while MN was terrible this year, there still is a vast disparity in talent between a program just coming out of D-II and a BCS program, albeit a crappy one. Craig Bohl is a coach that can beat the odds, and I hear that he is a "stickler" for academics, as a poster on mgoblog said. He could be our Tressel, but he has no connections to Michigan or Ohio, although he did work at Wisconsin as LB coach in the 80s. He's about 50 years old.

Feelin' Blue,Not that great perhaps, but I won't believe it until I (don't)see it. The article about Skip Bertman telling us "it's over" yesterday sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than anyone else. Read it here, it's hilarious. In the the same paragraph he says it's not about money with Les, then points out LSU is willing to pay more than U of M.

Then in back to back sentences he says to leave Les alone, talk to his agent if we need to, but not him, then turns around and says anyone can talk to Les or his agent. It's like the new girlfriend explaining to her friends why the boyfriend is hanging out with his ex.

"Well, they weren't actually holding hands, hers were just cold and he was warming them up. And they weren't kissing- she has a condition where her tongue needs to be massaged and what was he supposed to do- massage it byu hand? That'd be weird."

Still won't believe it till i see someone else at the podium.

Love the suggestion of Bohl though- a little creative problem solving instead of whining is nice. And a new name to hunt info on- sweet!

SIC,I could live with it. He's never hidden the fact that he wants to be coach here, I don't think it'd take anyone by surprise. Watch it turn out that BM is an evil genius and sandbagging until the bowls are over. Sure we'll catch shit for taking him on, but everyone lives to bag on us anyway. Fuck 'em. fuck 'em all.

Or maybe Miles has a national championship game to prepare for and doesn't need distractions emanating like a week-old walleye from a washed up program that can't accept their current second tier status.

I realize its cold up in AA but you'd be well advised to find someplace warm to melt away the delusion, accept reality and move on with your search. Thanks to fine supporters like yourself and the conspiracies you regurgitate, Michigan and its fans are quickly losing what little respect the program had left.

is it me? or is everyone else beginning to wonder if bill martin hasn't caught the boom upside the head one too many times?

wake up, read espn, and damn! arkansas has a new coach! in two weeks time they've gone out & got petrino.

then as i read, i see bobby has been sniffing around college circles for some time (lots of college guys decide the nfl isn't for them). so i'm thinking "gee, why didn't he talk to us???". then i read, he tried, but we never showed any interest?

yeech. as far as i can tell, we talked to Shiano, brady hoke, ferentz, and les, but only sortof???

why wouldn't we talk to brian kelly? or petrino? or any of a half a dozen interesting names?

that people tell you "no" is a part of modern football. that you don't seem to talk to much anyone who wants you? you need help.

espn also has article on how tom osborne used a search firm to prescreen candidates. if a guy w/ his experience thinks it's a good idea to get some professional help, what was martin thinking?

but hey, coach hoke has a real ring to it. once you wash it down w/ a scotch or two.

SIC,As for the Brian Kelly thing, I don't see it happening. A good friend of mine who played at U of M and whose brother played for Kelly at Central is dead set against that hire. The word within the community is he's a good coach, but not one the players trust or want to play for. So those rumors of him rubbing people the wrong way? True. For him not to even get a sniff, there's something there.

Now I'm not saying I'd want any of the coaches they hired, but to not have a clear cut favorite, or only having formally interviewed Hoke and the coords? You can't convince me something wouldn't leak if they were talking to Tedford or Kelly or someone. I'm really hoping for the Evil Genius angle, the alternative is just too scary- and I can't afford that much scotch.

I've heard stuff like that about Brian Kelly, that he rubs people the wrong way. He seems like a bit of an asshole.

What absolutely outrages me is that we didn't try to hire Paul Johnson. He is one of the best hires of the year and he will really turn Ga Tech around.

But then again, maybe we need a defensive mind as coach. I like Jon Tenuta, but I don't know how he would do as HC. Then there's Ron English. He's not that bad. The team was not prepared in the beginning of the year, but it got much better. When you look at the D, not much needs changing, except for the fact that Mich needs to learn to cover the spread better, which it did, but not masterfully. Our secondary got much much better though. I think Vance Bedford helped, but he might be the defensive Mike Debord - hot for one year, but pure crap as past years show (see OkSU).

Urban Meyer to Michigan would add a real interesting twist to the rivalry. It would kind of be like John Cooper (his ASU beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl), but Urban Meyer is a great coach. But Ohio St hates him, as does Michigan though since he is a bit of an asshole.

It probably won't happen, but lately he has really warmed up to Michigan in the media, saying that UM could compete with the SEC and that it is one of the most prestigious positions in the country. Plus, he has Midwest roots and he and his AD don't get along.

Even though he would probably never come, I think that he's trying to kiss up to Michigan because in the back of his mind he wants to be considered. Sort of like flirting when you already have a girlfriend. It might also be that he is trying to be more classy after last year.

Does everyone at LSU like Miles? I doubt it. You can't please all of the people all of the time......and I really have to wonder exactly why you care? You have him, he has made it very clear, and continues to do that at every turn.

Petrino?The guy's completely untrustworthy and that I KNOW for a fact. check out the time line of his stint at Louisville and see how he jacked them around, followed immediately by the crap he pulled on Atlanta. not talking to him was the only smart thing BM has done yet.

Tomorrow is Dec 14thFinals will be doneThe town will empty outNo further action on coaching til after the bowl games

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